


Aftermath

by iluvaqt



Series: His Best Girl [17]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-10
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 14:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4308669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iluvaqt/pseuds/iluvaqt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone expects an adjustment period.  They'd survived war and an invasion.  Who best to get you through the rough times but family and friends.</p><p>Felicity and Steve visit Donna.  And Bucky meets his match.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

**In Washington D.C., Sen. Chambers, Secretary of Defense, addresses Congress.**

"Mr. President, it has been the conclusion of the Senate Committee for Homeland Security that the Law requiring the registration of Superhumans was presented and then enforced by conspirators in the recent invasion of the alien race known as the Skrulls.

“The World Security Council, oversight for S.H.I.E.L.D, and several other of our intelligence agencies have provided documentation, footage and first-hand accounts as supporting proof, including individuals who have been captured and detained following the large scale invasion attacks on New York, Los Angeles, Houston, TX and in the Nevada desert region. What we were only recently made aware of was that their secret invasion took place more than a year ago and had far reaching effects which we plan to reveal today."

The Senate Auditorium started to fill with gas and House members were up on their feet hoping to flee only to find the doors barred by uniformed S.H.I.E.L.D agents and costumed heroes, including Iron Man, War Machine, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye and Black Widow.

"Mr. Stark, Col. Rhodes, I hope you have an explanation for this?" President Ellis demanded. His security team were trying to hustle him to safety from what they perceived to be a biological terror attack only to find the way blocked by Iron Legion sentinels.

Tony lifted his visor. "Absolutely. We're pretty sure you're in the clear since we didn't find the real you in any of the holding cells on that alien space ship but these things can morph into anyone and there's only one way to know for sure. It'll happen in about four, three, two, one--"

Several shrieks of terror told Tony that the drug they'd synthesized to interrupt the Skrulls' ability to morph - using their own genetic research found in their archives that had survived the crash - was revealing the infiltrators. As they had expected, outed Skrull operatives were taking hostages. One particularly brazen one grabbed the President. His uniform tag read, General Scudder. Tony wasn't surprised but Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel was, and her hands lit up in warning while her expression hardened behind her mask.

"Nobody move, clear a path or your President dies. Now. Ah--" his demands were cut short when it looked like an invisible kick to the head knocked him off his feet and rendered him unconscious.

Other Skrulls, tackled down by neighboring Senators were quickly assisted by S.H.I.E.L.D agents. Scott Lang in his Ant-Man gear returned to human-size and offered a hand up to the President while a few of his remaining human Secret Service officers restrained Skrulls that had been a part of his protective detail. 

"When they went through all the prisoners on board those ships that landed in Nevada, the call was made that only a mass public address would capture the most dangerous conspirators," Col. Rhodes explained.

"And where is Captain America in all this?" Senator Wenham asked, his voice betraying his suspicion over the man's absence yet again following another major attack on the government and its protective bodies.

"Which one?" Natasha stated calmly. "The one who was publicly shot by a S.H.I.E.L.D agent in April, then replace by a Skrull and held prisoner up until two weeks ago. Or the Skrull who's been working closely with your man Scudder over there and toeing the line like a good little soldier while secretly helping infiltrating every level of defense this country has? I know which Cap I prefer."

"It's been said before but it bears repeating, you have a mouth on you that needs..."

"I wouldn't finish that sentence," came a low warning growl.

"Dr. Banner," the Senator choked in greeting, swallowing the rest of his verbal tirade. He was terrified of the green sparking in the scientist's irises. 

The doors opened, and Steve walked in, wearing his U.S. Army dress issue, Captain's uniform, supporting an equally formally dressed but obviously pained General Scudder, who was also using a distinguished cane to aid his mobility.

"Mr. President," the man greeted with a respectful nod. "If you want to place blame anywhere for the rouse today, you can lay it at my feet."

"With respect, sir. It was a collaborative decision," Steve interjected.

"Captain Rogers, I'm disappointed not to see you in your uniform," the President said.

Steve nodded and took a breath before answering. "Mr. President, that uniform belongs to the people. And I don't believe the people want me to represent them. Haven't for awhile. I was just an ordinary recruit before I took the serum. I wanted to serve my country, and today I will continue to do so. Until someone higher up decides otherwise, I'm still an officer in the U.S. Army but nothing more."

The President nodded, the frown telling them that while he trying to understand Steve's position, he wasn't happy with it. "How far did this go? Is it over?" he asked instead.

Scudder shook his head. "The Committee is working with a covert group to unmask all the conspirators but we're still not sure how fair reaching their infiltration goes. The ship carried over three hundred prisoners but we suspect many people were merely killed and replaced rather than being kept imprisoned. It seems only those who had valuable information or possessed superhuman abilities were kept alive."

::: ::: :::

**Previously**

As Tony's sentinels focused their numbers on securing the downed ship. Fandral, the Winter Soldier, Sue Storm, Bobbi Morse, a.k.a Mockingbird and the Vegas S.H.I.E.L.D team, along with many of the freed captives they were finally able to overcome the Skrull invaders. Those still standing surrendered when they saw the Nevada Army Base tanks and humvees roll in. The ship that had been pursuing Steve had broken off when Felicity had started taking their fighters out of the sky and pulled out of Earth's atmosphere.

When the Hulk returned with Natasha on his back, following a silver haired Pegasus, it was only a warning crackling of thunder that stayed General Ross' order to target the Hulk.

Felicity got down, supported by Steve and later flanked by Bucky, who she smiled at encouragingly, before turning her eyes on the stone-faced military man. "The Hulk is under our protection. Tell your men to stand down."

Lt. General Ross was more than a foot taller than her and armed to the teeth with a variety of weapons strapped to his person not counting the two officers at his side, carrying P-90s but she wouldn't be deterred. Even though it had hurt to lift her arms, she'd put her armor back on and upon their return she'd called the thunder when she'd seen the tanks redirect their aim as they approached.

"Thaddeus, I think there's been enough blood spilled on the sand today," a voice spoke up from behind them.

Ross visibly startled to see his superior, weak and wounded, supported by The Iron Patriot approach the group. "You're.. how is this possible? I just met with you in Washington yesterday."

"Shapeshifters. They have their damn ugly muscle, the powerhouse enforcers which some of our people fought today, and they have their infiltrators, the morphs," he said with a nod at the fallen Skrull wearing Captain America's uniform. "We need to keep this under wraps at least until I speak to our covert team. This invasion of theirs has in the works a lot longer than you think."

Ross nodded gravely. "You have a black site?"

Scudder nodded to a nearby S.H.I.E.L.D agent. "Radio Command. If you can get Director Hill on the wire, give her to me. " To General Ross and the others assembled, he said, "We need to keep the morph intel under wraps until we can get a plan together. Our cell have been operating out of Area 15. The bodies and these ships need to be moved ASAP."

Tony nodded. "Not a problem. Coordinates?"

General Scudder shook his head. "Rather not say. Just follow the Humvee."

Rhodey wrinkled his nose at the order. He thought he'd left his covert days behind him years ago. He'd never been a fan of the cloak and dagger stuff.

They used the undamaged S.H.I.E.L.D jet and two Chinook helicopters to lift the remains of the warship. Tony ordered the Sentinels to collect the wreckage of the downed attack crafts in cargo nets and follow the convoy.

Felicity rode Saefil with Steve and followed the aircrafts to an area that looked completely desolate. The large parameter fence stretched on as far as she could see and from the signposts, it said warned off trespassing specifying weapons testing. She kept a sharp eye out, wondering if at any moment, some random missile was going to launch.

After the leading Humvee cleared the lone guard station, they kept on travelling on until they came to a stop at what looked like a dead end. A sheer mountain face. Slowly the rock face split revealing a space large enough to fit a Boeing-747 through.

When they landed, Felicity was surprised to see a familiar face waiting for them in the enormous hangar space beneath the mountain.

"I'm not cut out for this double agent, triple agent stuff," Sam said tiredly. He gave Felicity a bright smile and hugged her. "Why can I never keep you out of trouble?"

"Because I'm never one to be left behind. This certainly explains why I see so little of you. How long has he had you playing spook?" she said with a nod of greeting to the reliably unreadable Nick Fury.

"Too long," he rebutted. Sam took in his shaggy, worn looking friend. Even in his sorry state, there was no mistaking the familiarity of his stubborn determined posture and the deep grooved furrow between his brows. Steve Rogers, world class worry wort. "Man, you have no idea how it feels to see you kickin'," Sam said as he embraced his long absent friend.

Steve returned Sam's brotherly embrace and held on to his shoulder when they parted. "Thank you for looking after her for me," his said his voice gruff.

Sam shuffled uncomfortably and his expression fell. "I could have done a better job. I had this feeling something was off about him, but it wasn't till this past week that we knew for certain, when our source came through with tech that allowed us to see through the facade. They change on a cellular level, it's what made everything damn near impossible. Their blood, tissue, perfect DNA match, their scans all came up clear. And for some of them, like Agent Morse, they had all the right recall; operational information, codes, procedure, personnel history. And their behavioral patterns didn’t give anything away."

"Except for Captain Amnesiac. My coming out must have made them nervous. Didn’t anyone think to check dental records?" Felicity snarked, she felt Steve tense at her side at her comment over his imposter and inched closer to him in a show of reassurance. The serum had fixed all Steve’s physical and genetic defects that it wouldn’t have revealed any discrepancies in his records, but everyone else would have had some work done, a history of impacted wisdom teeth for instance.

Fury snorted, overhearing her comment. "I knew we were missing an outside perspective somewhere. Dental records are only consulted in a postmortem forensic exam if other identifying processes are inconclusive. No one in our operation thought to run that check."

"Just who exactly was on your team?" Steve asked.

Fury put his hands in his coat and nodded his one good eye at Felicity. "For awhile, there was no operation until the General reached out to me when our investigation into Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D and our government revealed some interesting anomalies. That put me in touch with your new in-law. He's been the one who made this an operation. Without him, there would have been a great many more tragedies today."

"Is Kay alive?" Felicity asked both fearful and hopeful. In her stress over Steve, she hadn't thought to try to contact him again.

"He was headed to MiB HQ when the bomb the Skrull masquerading as O planted, went off. Kay and his partner were outside the building and their car took the brunt of the explosion. Apparently they build those like tanks. He stayed in New York and called in off duty agents and Earth's allies as first responders when the other ship descended into our atmosphere. Captain Marvel's Avengers had their hands full trying to get Skrulls off my Helicarrier."

"Speaking of, Carol's going to have my ass, over not being in New York but Fury had me in Virginia hacking Skrull Morse's football for five warheads targeting all the S.H.I.E.L.D bases in the U.S. Only managed to disarm them with seconds left on the clock, considering one was headed right for my head, it didn't help my concentration. That and computers have never been my strong suit."

"We averted a large scale biological attack in London. Israel vaporized the modified Jericho missile targeting Tel Aviv while it was still over the water. And S.H.E, Europe's division of S.H.I.E.L.D had their operatives respond to the threat to NATO. We believe the immediate threat is over, but we have yet to process all the intel recovered from the warship, and debrief those who've been in Skrull captivity." Nick gave them all a grave look. "Until we've screened everyone, no one's leaving this base. That includes all those involved in the battle royal that went down in the desert. Am I going to have any problems?" he asked, eyeing the Hulk and Fandral specifically.

Felicity watched her father give Fury a cheery grin and a casual shrug, while Hulk just growled, not taking his attention off General Ross and his men.

"Can I suggest we debrief Agent Romanoff and the Hulk first," Steve inquired of his former boss. "I think everyone might breathe a little easier."

::: ::: :::

**Screening Room 2, Area 15, Black Site**

Steve and Felicity refused to separate. They had been apart for months. They weren't going to part for anyone. Especially over something as tedious and redundant as a debrief. No matter how confrontational, personal, detailed or traumatic things might get, they both agreed that they were much better off dealing with it directly and together.

Nick stood on the other side of the room and Logan sat at the table across from them. He reeked of cigar smoke and even a faint trace of whiskey. Steve grit his teeth. He knew the man was practically incapable of getting drunk, his metabolism burning through the alcohol almost as fast as the serum metabolised drugs in his bloodstream but there was such a thing as professional pride and etiquette. You just didn’t drink on the job. And impromptu or not, they were all on the clock until this mission was over.

"Well ain't you two sweet. Might as well hold hands on the table. That way things won't get kinky in here."

"You haven't changed a bit, Logan. You were a stogie addicted, ill-mannered brute in my day and you still are. And they let you look after children," Steve said, shaking his head.

Felicity tried not to smile but couldn't help the snort that escaped. Wolverine couldn’t stand politics or the military. He tolerated Fury because of the old days, and he was proud Canadian. The only reason he stuck around was to protect the mutant children he’d come to care for while working with Charles Xavier. His annoyance at having to mingle with military types was obvious, Felicity wondered how many favors Nick had promised him to enlist his help as a human lie detector. He wasn’t as good as Daredevil but Logan’s nose and his instincts weren’t easily fooled. He also had a very brash and signature technique of getting people to tell the truth. "Stop baiting him, Logan and get to the script. Sam's screened us, we are obviously not Skrulls. And you want to be here as much as we do. So let's get on with it."

Logan arched an eyebrow at her and twitched a smirk. "Okay, princess." He switched his gaze back to Steve. "What did you spill, bub? What did you give them?"

Steve looked at Fury, unblinking and deadly serious. "They let me heal up first. Left me isolated, fed me once a day, let me train in my cell. Once my heart was sealed over and pumping strong, they started with their interrogation. I gave them nothing. They seemed to have a lot to work with already though. I didn't know how many prisoners they had until I escaped."

"How did you escape? Scudder was a prisoner for twenty one months. He held out for six before he broke,” Nick replied evenly.

"Good thing I wasn't there for that long then," Steve said calmly. Felicity squeezed his hand in silent support. He respected the General. No man could hold onto sanity under torture for months on end. His respect for the man hadn't dimmed one iota to learn he'd succumbed. If they'd started torturing Felicity in front of him, he would have told them anything.

"How did you get free?" Logan asked, kicking back in his chair and putting his boots up on the table.

Steve pulled a face at the sight of the bottom of his shoes. It looked like he'd found the only wild animal in the area and stepped in its doo. Felicity gagged and hurled a little in her mouth, turning her head.

"Sorry," she choked and scooted her chair back so she had a bit more distance from the faint smell. Her luck that it wasn't fresh. Small mercies. Early on any kind of strong smell would be enough to set her off, thankfully she was over her first trimester and the nausea wasn’t so bad. Logan was pushing her limit though. Between the sweat in the room, burnt tabacco, alcohol and the faint smell of mold, now what she dearly hoped was only coyote faeces, she was struggling.

Sensing her discomfort and seeing Felicity looking a little pale, Steve glared and growled at Logan, pointedly eyeing his shoes, "Do you mind?" 

"I'm getting how they might have tried to break you. Was it a shifter? Did they try to seduce it out of you?" Logan asked his tone mild, almost disinterested, although his eyes seemed to linger longer on Felicity’s pregnancy swollen assets, further emphasised by her snug Asgardian armor.

Felicity glanced at Steve and worried at his jaw grinding facial tick, he looked like he wanted to dive over the table and go a few rounds with Wolverine, but he restrained himself and clutched her hand a fraction tighter before answering in a low hard voice. He didn't look at Logan however, his gaze trained instead on the darkened window and the small blinking light in the corner underneath a camera.

"They didn't know I was married in the beginning. Felicity registering gave them information they didn't have before. I still don't know how much of it was their morph impersonating her or what was real but at the time, there was no way to tell and I believed it. But I wasn’t able to break free. They didn't let up very often and on one occasion they let me watch a recording for hours. It felt as though they had constant surveillance of Felicity. It wasn't until they threatened to take her that I started feeling desperate. I broke free today when they brought her into the room. I didn't know until later that it was a Skrull. I broke my ankle clamp and took the technician working over me hostage. I picked his pocket and used his control to release my other restraints. Then the impersonator and I killed the other guards and made our escape. We freed about twelve other hostages on our way to the main deck, including Susan Storm and Agent Clay Quartermain. When we reached a crossroads, Felicity suggested we split up so she could secure the engine room. "

"You didn't think that was suspicious?" Fury asked, folding his arms over his chest, his one eye showing his disbelief at Steve's perceived gullibility and negligence.

Steve shook his head. "Felicity and I have worked together in the field before. We know each others strengths and I trust her judgement. She understands tech. You could say she's a savant, easily Tony's equal in what she can do with random materials. I knew I'd run into more resistance trying to take the command deck than she would have against their engineers, so I agreed with her plan."

"Which backfired spectacularly according to Quartermain's statement." Fury left his post against the wall and pulled up a chair, straddling it backward. "I've listened to your radio transmission, smart reaching out to S.W.O.R.D. How did you even know how to fly that thing?"

Steve shrugged. "I've flown all kinds of aircrafts. I asked Howard to train me after I realized I didn't want to have to rely on a pilot to fly me to or out of anywhere. There's no one I really trust to look out for my team. They put their faith in me, I never wanted to be locked down in enemy territory with no way out for them. The only problem I had was understanding their language, but Susan helped with that."

"What happened after S.W.O.R.D denied you support?" Logan asked.

Steve leaned forward and put his and Felicity's hands on the table. "I prayed hard and we devoted all the power we could spare to the shields. And as Agent Morse said, we hauled ass."

"Language," Felicity teased fondly, bumping his shoulder with hers. Which she immediately regretted. It was the same shoulder she'd bruised colliding with the Skrull ship. Her wince must have reflected in Fury's expression because everyone went quiet. "It's fine," she protested.

"Have you had medical check you over?" Fury asked.

"Bruce, took my blood pressure and..."

"We wanted to get this done," Steve interjected, he was tired, sore and he was sure she felt the same. The faster they got through Fury's questions, the quicker they could make their escape. This place was cold, musty and reminded him far too much of those cells on the Skrull ship. It felt like he'd traded one prison for another. The only consolation he had was the slim warm hand in his and the woman it belonged to seated beside him. "The sooner this is done, we can leave."

"We only have a couple of questions for Felicity and then you're free to leave as soon as you sign the conditional non-disclosure agreements."

"Oh joy," Felicity snorted. "Paperwork."

::: ::: :::

**Las Vegas**

After his repeated assurances that he was okay, and for Felicity to stop her fretting because she was channelling his late mother and Steve in pre-mission mode, Bucky managed to convince her that he'd be fine waiting for Sam to finish his interviews and catch a ride with him back to D.C. 

Bruce and Natasha had disappeared as soon as they finished their debrief, wanting to give Lt. General Ross as wide a berth as possible. Felicity knew she could reach them at any time and was used to their disappearing without so much as a wave.

She gave herself a headache over the internal debate as to the wisdom of reconnecting the pair. After their brief introduction following Steve's shooting, Felicity hadn't seen her mother in months and she missed her boundless enthusiasm and her can do, upbeat attitude. Most of all she missed her mother's hugs. So in the end her personal wants trumped the issue of any awkwardness her two biological parents might suffer and it wasn't really a surprise that she started crying as soon as her mother greeted her at the door.

"Oh my baby, look at you," Donna blurted, embracing her only child with the exuberance of a loved one who had been deprived of their family for far too long. She ran her fingers through Felicity's shorter locks, that were limp and greasy, clinging with dirt and soot and who knew what else. "Your hair," she bemoaned, before she was quickly distracted by the noticeable bump nudging her body. "And wow, how far along now?" she asked, pulling back but keeping a firm grasp on Felicity's shoulders, she glanced at the baby bump with pride and excitement in her eyes. "Are we at 20 weeks yet? Do you know?" As though she'd only just noticed him, she turned and smiled widely at Steve. Moving from Felicity to her husband, she grabbed him before air kissing both his cheeks. "And Steve, I'm loving the beard," she said and patted his cheek. "It's very flattering. Not that you needed help in the SNAG model worthy department before but my baby's got herself a winner. Don't ever get shot again, you hear. We were all a mess for days. It wasn't pretty."

“Certainly wasn’t my intention, ma’am,” Steve said, shifting uncomfortably, looking at his wife with a silent plea for help.

Donna slapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Oh posh, it’s Donna, sweetie.”

"Mom," Felicity exclaimed half-heartedly, actually enjoying her babbling. It was comforting to her, familiar but she was still a bit mortified over her mother’s antics for Steve's sake. She could tell that all Steve wanted to do was curl up somewhere safe and sleep a day away but he'd let her talk them into driving - her father flying to Vegas - to see her mother. "Mom, I hope you don't mind, but I invited Fandral to join us. He's been staying with me the over the past week and today I don't know how I would have coped without him. He's won some major kudos toward Father of the Year but I won't let him get a big head, he's got a ways to go yet."

Donna's eyes widened, and then sparkled with mischief. "Of course he can stay, honey. Fandral," she cooed. She spied her target lounging beside Saefil in the yard and waved them over like it was an everyday occurrence to find a winged horse in her front garden. "Put her around the back and then come on inside. I'll make up the guest room." She took Felicity's satchel from Steve and walked them through the house. "You two don't mind staying in your old room do you?" she asked Felicity.

Felicity froze mid-stride, her face paling and her eyes growing large. "Please tell me you cleaned up after I left for college."

Donna waved off her dramatics. "Honey, if he starts running now, then you really don’t know him as well as you think you do.” She leaned in closer to Steve and stage whispered, “Our girl was a bit of a Sci-Fi buff. What am I saying," she said throwing up her hands with an overly bright exclamation, "She still is. Just about wallpapered her walls in Farscape and what was the other one... oh yes, McGyver. He’s let himself go but he was absolutely delicious in his prime."

"Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, Mom. He spent years longer playing Jack than he did as MacGyver. Even though you made me watch those with you to try and convert me," Felicity growled with a huff of annoyance. She turned to Steve who was watching her with humor in his eyes. "Don't laugh, better yet not a word while I deal with this."

Steve could only stare, trying not to let his inner mirth escape as his petite, pregnant wife stormed into her bedroom and struggled to tear down the many giant posters adorning her walls. He wondered if he should ask about the dashing looking fellow with glasses. Granted the man was an actor playing a fictional character, but he couldn't help but speculate that he was probably her favorite character. "Who does he play?"

Felicity rolled up the poster he was pointing at rather quickly, and he could tell from the blush on her cheeks and her eyes darting suspiciously that his suspicions were correct.

"Was he the science brain of their team?"

"His field was archaeology actually. The female lead, Samantha Carter, a total badass character and an Air Force officer was their tech and science expert. Her field was astrophysics and she'd always dreamed of being an astronaut,” she trailed off a little whimsically.

Steve wrapped his arms around her distended waist, a feeling of awe washing over him once again as his fingers felt the warmth of her body through her thin shirt. She had removed her armor before climbing in the truck they’d borrowed, and only had her thin empire-cut blouse and black thermal leggings on. He’d been glad for the low lighting at the compound after she’d removed her protective layers since he was certain he could see her practical flesh colored sports bra underneath her shirt, and was half urged to cover her up. But he didn’t think she’d appreciate his flustering. It was bad enough he’d had to curb his instinct to punch Logan at the man’s undisguised leering. He was only half sure that it had been intentional to rattle him for the debrief and not actual leering. The only thing you could be positively sure about with respect to Logan’s behavior was that the man didn’t make friends lightly, and he treated his friends with respect and loyalty. And Steve knew, that even though he’d never said it to his face, Logan counted him as a friend. “Did you want to be an astronaut?” he asked softly, shifting her hair aside so that he could kiss her neck.

Felicity reached up and cupped his head, holding him willingly captive against the side of her face. “When I was growing up, yeah. But then I got glasses and that dream fell flat.”

“You don’t need them now,” he pointed out.

Felicity let her arm fall, she was still sore and it hurt to keep them up, and shifted to hug him back instead. She held him loosely so that she didn’t have to crane so much to look at his face. “I don’t need to wonder what’s out there anymore. I can see it all if I want to. Fandral wants me to visit Asgard. Actually he’s not so subtly hinted many times that he’d worry less if I returned with him.” She felt him tense and smiled, tightening her arms around him and putting her ear over his heart. “Never without you. Home is with you.”

Steve felt his throat close as he clung to her, holding her as tightly as he could without crushing her or making her uncomfortable with their growing baby between them. He felt his eyes burn with tears and for the first time, he let himself really breathe and release. Letting the anger, fear and helplessness seep out of his body. Only she could do that. She’d always been able to do that, with nothing but her words and her smile.

Later that night, when the house was quiet and dark, Felicity lay there watching him sleep. Barely a minute after hitting the pillow while holding her, he was out. She brushed the longer darker hair away from his face. His hair was a darker blonde and his skin lighter, revealing how long he’d been without sunlight. There were still worry lines on his face as he slept and she trailed her hand lightly over his naked chest which revealed his fading scars from his shooting and fresher ones that he’d suffered under the Skrull interrogators. She felt her heart twist envisioning the pain he must have endured and her fingers shook, causing him to twitch slightly in his sleep, mumbling under his breath. She pulled the sheet up to ward off the night chill and crawled from the bed. 

Now that she acknowledged baby’s movements, she could feel it all the time. Bruce had been joking about acrobatics but she was beginning to wonder if the kid was parkouring in her belly. Obviously baby had a lot more of Steve's than her genes. She thought of herself as fit and an adequate fighter but she’d much rather curl up with a good book than hit the gym or run around Memorial Park. 

Perhaps it was because they were both hungry that baby was extra active. They’d had a light dinner of Chinese take-out but she was used to eating all day long after finding that it was the only way to battle her nausea. Small, frequent meals and plenty of hydration was how she’d managed to actually return to her healthy weight and stay out of the bathroom after losing Steve and discovering she was pregnant.

After years of wandering around without her glasses at night, she discovered that she had excellent night vision and didn’t need to turn on lights to find her way around. Not wanting to disturb anyone or call attention to the house in the neighbourhood, she went to the kitchen without turning on any lights. She got a glass from the cupboard and put a small pan on the stove. She then opened the fridge to get out the milk. Her mom got it delivered fresh daily from an organic farmer and she was looking forward to making some cocoa to help her and the jumping jack in her belly to get some sleep.

She closed the door and the shadow she caught on the other side of the kitchen caused her the shriek at the top of her lungs. Felicity dropped the half a gallon bottle and it shattered on the tile floor, spilling milk and glass everywhere.

Steve had woken the second he felt the bed shift. His arms had felt her absence and he had startled awake. Seeing an unfamiliar room, it had taken him a second to remember where he was. The house was dark and he wondered where Felicity had gone, he couldn’t hear any sounds beyond the steady hum of electricity in the walls, the sounds of crickets outside and the two dogs from across the road. Throwing back the blankets, he’d gone to look for her. He hadn’t expected her to be in the kitchen, moving around in the dark. Even more startling was her reaction when she’d closed the refrigerator door. Still waking up, he had no idea what he was supposed to be do with a hyperventilating woman and the dangerous mess all over the floor.

Felicity backed herself into the counter, her heart racing in her chest and her breathing coming too fast. Her vision got blurry and she could feel a point in her head begin to throb.

Lights flicked on and before she knew it, there was her father in black boxer briefs - were they standard issue for Asgardians? They looked identical to Thor's underwear - obviously put on backward since she was sure the crotch wasn’t meant to be saggy and her mother in a robe, which she suspected was all she was wearing, staring at her in obvious concern.

“Felicity?” her mother said worriedly.

Fandral eyed Steve suspiciously and he clenched his fists as though readying to pummel him. "Is he not what he seems? Felicity?"

“Wait,” Felicity said, coming back to herself and shaking off her panic. In her haste to stop any looming confrontation, she’d forgotten about the hazard on the floor and stepped right onto a large shard of glass, which went neatly into her foot. “Ow.”

Steve immediately move to help her, before her mother stopped him from cutting his own bare feet. Fandral expertly navigated the minefield and scooped her up like she was a child’s doll and carried her to the sitting room. He snagged a dish towel on the way out, and wrapped up her foot because giving her a comforting smile. “If you’re okay, I’ll let him do the rest of the rescuing,” he said gently.

Felicity broke a smile in return at his thoughtfulness. “He just startled me that’s all. Maybe I should have just turned the lights on.”

Fandral patted her shoulder and stood up, he blushed as he finally registered the state of his undress. With a genial nod at her, which was amazing that he could still look dignified, he said, "I'll bid you goodnight, my daughter.” Then he left her, but not before shooting a warning glance at Steve. 

Donna patted Steve’s arm and followed Fandral. 

"He doesn't waste time, does he?" Steve said, his tone disapproving. 

Felicity watched them talking quietly as they went to her mother's room and tilted her head thoughtfully. "My mother isn't the type to hesitate. She goes after what she wants. Caution to the wind. But she lives without regrets. It's her main goal, and even though sometimes she gets hurt, I've always admired her courage. She's not a follower, or a wallflower. She lives in the light and dances through life with the energy and passion of a woman half her age. And I've gotten to know the real Fandral, at least a little, and while he is charming, dashing, and a bit of a rogue, he's also compassionate, funny and I don't know.. I can see why she has a weak spot for him, even with all the odds against them. Which should be telling them this a bad idea." 

"Sort of like us?" Steve said his voice thick. It hadn't escaped his notice how close she'd grown to her father in such a seemingly short time to him. 

"We're different, Steve. I'm not sure how we'll age but I'm sure it won't be the same as Fandral and my mother. Her mortality will always be against them, no matter what favour he has with Asgard's King. Besides, my mother, would never leave this world behind, which is what would be expected if she were ever to be given the honor of taking a golden apple.

Steve averted his gaze from the intensity of her eyes. She always seemed to see right through his brave, strong put-together facade and get to the heart of his concerns. As he crouched in front of her, he pulled up the thigh area of his pajama bottoms a little so he wouldn’t split the crotch from his position. He gently lifted her foot to inspect the damage, pulling the cloth away slowly. The wound which was barely more than a pin head had already stopped bleeding but the shard was still in her foot. He looked up at her asking with his eyes if he could remove it. She nodded quickly, biting her lip. He was so gentle that she didn’t even feel it come out. He waited to see if it would bleed some more, but her skin looked like it was already tightening in the absence of the foreign object. “I don’t think it’ll need stitches but it’ll probably sting and open when you put weight on it. Do you have any first aid supplies?” he said, effectively steering their thoughts away from the subject for now.

Felicity nodded. “In my satchel.” She understood that this developing relationship she had with her birth father would weigh on Steve. Because he wasn't of Earth, he was powerful and he looked young enough to be their age, but she hoped that given time, Steve would see that Fandral was not a threat to their relationship and that all he cared about was her happiness.

He retrieved her bag from their room and once Felicity found an alcohol swab and a waterproof dressing, he cleaned out her cut, blew on it to dry it out and then applied the dressing for her. “Are you okay?” In truth he was referring to more than her foot, but he wasn’t sure how much she would be willing to talk about and he didn’t want to push her.

She put the kit aside and pulled him up beside her, he went easily and as soon as he was seated, she snuggled up against his chest, drawing his arms around her. “I’m sorry I flaked out. I probably wasn’t the best idea going around in the dark. You startled me.” She shifted slightly so she could see his face. “I was never afraid of him you know. At least not until Kay showed me who he really was. It was so strange. It was an incredible feeling when Bucky and Tasha found you/him, damn it that’s going to get old fast. I should have fought harder to be there in the beginning, General Scudder, who we now know was also a Skrull did his best to shut me out. Especially since the Skrull impersonator was playing amnesiac. Maybe we would have been able to figures their plans out sooner.”

“And you would have put yourself in greater danger,” Steve said kissing her temple. “What happened, happened and all we can do is learn from it and move forward. There’s no use going what if or maybe.” He held her tightly and revelled in the weight against his body and the clean scent of her shampoo. He leaned closer and pressed his nose against her shoulder, finally finding a spot of skin that smelled only of her. He stayed like that until she nudge him with her elbow. 

“As much as I want to snuggle with you all night, the kitchen is still a mess,” she said with a smile in her voice.

Steve trailed his hands up her arms, smoothing away the goosebumps on her skin and squeezed her shoulders. “Keep the bed warm for me, I’ll be there in a bit.”

When he came to bed ten minutes later, the broken glass in the trash and the kitchen mopped, he also came bearing a mug of hot chocolate. Fortunately for them, Donna had a second bottle of milk or they’d be ordering take out for breakfast too. He found her fast asleep, her face half buried in his pillow. He split a grin wondering how she found that appealing since he was sure even though he’d showered twice, once at the base and once with Donna’s using a couple of her many assorted scented toiletries, that his hair still wasn’t totally grime and odor free. A memory of Felicity saying she loved him all hot and sweaty came to mind and he chuckled softly to himself. She was quirky, candid, opinionated and sometimes more stubborn than he was but he loved her more than anything. It was her uniqueness that made her, his Felicity. And he was so immeasurably grateful that she was here and that she was safe.

::: ::: :::

**Present day, Washington D.C.**

Even before the plans had been laid out and written into their cleverly worded gag orders, Steve knew that he did want Felicity anywhere near the circus he knew Capitol Hill was going to be. So he thought up an idea to ask her to stay behind with Bucky. Steve knew that Bucky wouldn't feel at ease being surrounded by so many supers and politicians, so he assumed Felicity wouldn't protest too loudly since he believed, being the thoughtful soul she was, she wouldn't want James to feel like he was the only one staying behind. 

What he hadn’t anticipated were her conditions. Even though the first things he'd wanted to do after they found the showers in Area 15 were a clean shave and to cut his hair, she'd forbidden it. She had agreed to keep out of the spotlight, so long as he didn't change his appearance at all.

At first he'd been disgruntled over her obstinate demand. He felt like a slob. Granted his shower had to be the most thorough and enjoyable one he'd ever had in his life under her attentive and deliberate ministrations but he'd never let his facial hair grow before and even without a mirror to see it, he hated it. His long hair had been tickling his neck and his cheeks constantly over the past couple of weeks, and the worst thing about it was that he’d been unable to get it out of the way since he’d hardly had free use of his hands. It was only after she'd caught him fidgeting with it in agitation repeatedly that she relented on that point. Apparently Tony could cut hair. Before they left the base, she’d dragged him back to the locker room and they’d done away with the heavy metal rocker look. He didn't want to ask how or when Stark might have picked up the skill, but he didn't do a bad job at cutting his unruly mop into a neat style that both of them were happy with. It was longer than he was used to, but still within regulation.

She had lasted all of four days after which the resulting beard rash she had developed wore her down. It had been fortuitous timing too, since the General had asked if he would accompany him in a professional capacity and he needed to be clean shaven for that. Felicity had stayed in the bathroom as he first trimmed off the thick beard with clippers and then finished with a razor for a close shave.

He'd been concentrating on not nicking himself with the straight edge razor, that it was only when he was done that he'd met her eyes in the mirror and he'd been startled by her expression. She'd gotten a phone call so he hadn't had the chance to ask her what was on her mind that prompted the pain he'd seen in her eyes but that look was haunting him. He suspected it was because with the darker hair and the beard he’d looked obviously different to the Skrull that had worn his face. And now they were becoming more similar. He wanted to ask about the Skrull but he didn't know how or even if he really wanted to know everything. He only wanted to be there for in every way she needed him and he understood it might be painful for both of them but he realized they would need to talk about it in order to heal. He just had no idea how to broach the subject. 

They were all currently in Sam's townhouse; Natasha and Bruce on one sofa, Bucky perched on a breakfast nook bar stool, Sam had his feet up on the coffee table and was sitting in his favorite armchair, Felicity was resting against Steve's chest as they shared the corner of the L-lounger with their feet up, while Fandral was passed out against the wall in the corner from the keg of Xandarian wine Kay had brought them to celebrate surviving the invasion and the successful amendments to the Superhuman Registration Act, that would put greater security on the database of registered individuals and immediately cease enforcement of the law and reinstate all the government benefits previously denied to subjected individuals. Tony was throwing a party at the Avengers Tower but none of their group had felt up to a big crowd.

Their fingers interlaced and resting comfortably either side of her rounded tummy, Felicity shifted her head so that her cheek was pressed against Steve's chest. He kissed her forehead and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "I worry sometimes that this is only a dream. That I'm still there," he told her softly.

Felicity brought one of their joined hands to her lips and kissed his wrist. "That's why I can't stand it when I can't see you," she confessed just as quietly. Grateful that Sam had turned the sports channel on so that no one would be distracted by their exchange. She would have rather spent the first night back in D.C. alone with him but she knew that their closest friends needed the reassurance of seeing Steve too. "I'm not smothering you am I?"

Steve arched an eyebrow and sent her an incredulous look. “If you’re asking about your weight, I easily bench three of you, no sweat and you are not fat, you’re pregnant and beautiful,” he said with an exasperated grin, “If you’re referring to me being reluctant and unhappy about ever letting go of your hand for more than a five minutes, I thought that was my issues, not any fault of yours and if you’re asking if I’m feeling smothered by your attention, your physical presence, or your need to fill the silence, my answer this - If every man could be so lucky…” he said softly, and winked at her.

“And damn it, I’m out,” Bucky snorted, happy for his friends but unable to tolerate their moon-eyes and whispering for more than a few moments in any stretch. 

There was a rush of wind and a boom outside that had him sitting back down however. He frowned and startled at the loud rapping on the door.

It burst open before anyone could even say it wasn’t locked. Already knowing from the pounding knock who was on the other side, no one was surprised by his entry.

“Greetings, my friends,” he bellowed.

Fandral jerked and mumbled loudly in his sleep, before resettling. Thor glanced at him with a fond grin before rubbing his hands together. “The ale must be good. A pitcher please.”

“Hey, even demi-gods can’t show up empty handed,” Sam protested. “You got to give, to get, here.”

Natasha smirked. “Ain’t that a universal truth.”

Thor looked perplexed before he grinned again. “I brought Jane and Darcy, is that sufficient?”

Sam sat up and face-palmed. Felicity merely grinned at the goofy smile on Thor’s face. “Well where are they?”

“I am never travelling on that thing again,” came Darcy’s unmistakable voice. “Now I know why Sif has her hair tied up. Look at this? I don’t think even leave in conditioner is going to help straighten this out and I lost my hat. It was my favorite. Do you think that golden giant, Lord Commander saw where it went?”

Bucky had been about to leave. Normally when he visited with Felicity and Sam, he stayed the night, rather than have to travel the 3-hour train ride back to the Avengers tower but he’d used up his quota of Steve and Felicity sweetness for one day and with how many people were already in the townhouse, he thought it was getting rather crowded. However, the womanly vision of energy and sass that came through the door accompanying Thor’s lady friend gave him pause. He knew on sight that this was the Darcy, that the girls and even Tony sometimes talked about. Mouthy, loyal, sassy Darcy. 

“I come bearing pizza,” Darcy quipped, her red lips spread into a wide-grin. Her keen brown eyes soaking in everything behind her stylish glasses and catching the new but slightly familiar face watching her with interest. She smiled coyly before turning her full attention on the person she’d been intending to visit. “I’m glad you’re you and not him. That guy gave me the creeps. He came to London once, hovering and asking me things. Even though Bobbi gave me the heads up, saying he was there on official business or whatever, grrr..” She shivered involuntarily and stomped her foot. “Anyway. Welcome back,” she said decisively with a flick of her head, effectively ending her ramble.

“You never told me about that,” Jane said between her teeth, and nudged Darcy discreetly.

“There’s a lot of things I handle for you and don’t tell you. You do the sciency stuff, I deal with all the people stuff. We’re a team,” she said boldly. 

Jane couldn’t argue with that, told herself to drop it but was still a little disconcerted that the Skrull had been in her lab at all, even under Darcy’s watchful eye.

Felicity lumbered herself off the lounge and went to greet them all. Hugging Thor briefly and group hugged the girls. “You know I was kidding about only being welcome with food right? You’re always welcome, but I won’t say no to my favorite pizza.” Her mouth was already watering. She cracked open one of the boxes as she picked it up and turned to head to the kitchen only to run into Bucky. He stood in her way, and the slice halfway to her mouth almost ended up down her shirt. “James?” 

But he wasn’t looking at her. He only had eyes for Darcy. “James Barnes,” he said capturing Darcy’s hand. He kissed it lightly and winked at her. “But my friends all call me Bucky.”

“I don’t,” Felicity said, eyeing him through narrowed eyes. He had almost wasted delicious, precious pizza. Did he know of the wrath he’d only just avoided.

Bucky glanced across at her and shook his head. “And I always tell you, it makes you sound like my mother and I’m in trouble or something.”

Steve snorted a laugh and came to relieve Darcy of the rest of the pizza boxes she was carrying. “Thank you, Darcy. Nice to see you, Jane. Thor.”

“Do you want to get out of here? Unless you’re interested in the game?” Bucky said nodding to the big screen. 

Darcy shook her head. “I’m a baseball girl. Dad always took me when he wasn’t working, which wasn’t a lot, but it was our thing. I’m into dancing too. Maria took us to this great Salsa club last time we were here. Jane has two left feet but so does Thor - it was hilarious to watch. I got it all on camera. Want to see?” Jane made to grab her phone but Darcy was quicker. 

“I thought Ian was your male companion?” Thor asked his brow furrowed.

Darcy pulled a face. “Ian thought he was in a paid internship. He maybe have also been under the false impression that he was getting college credit...what,” she exclaimed at Jane’s slack-jawed look. “I didn’t say he was. The lab was lonely when you were in your ‘I’m going to bring Thor back head-space’ and I put out a flier. He was the only one to answer. It’s not my fault he wasn’t clever enough to interpret the wording I threw in there. Gain real world experience and knowledge of our galaxy to further expand your horizons. In what I didn’t specify and there was absolutely no mention of credit or pounds anywhere in there.”

“So you’re unattached?” Bucky fished lightly.

“And you’re cut, handsome and you’ve got this dark vibe going on. I like that,” she said straightening her back, showing of her ample assets. 

Jane was doing her best fish impersonation and although totally adorable and brainy, Darcy didn’t think it was a great look. As her best friend, Darcy felt obligated to have her back in all things, including when to close her mouth. She elbowed her again to get her to snap out of it. 

Bucky grinned at her and offered her his arm. “Salsa dancing. Never tried it but I’m a fast learner.”

“Don’t wait up,” Darcy threw over her shoulder to Jane and Thor, as she led her new dance partner out the door.

Steve watched his best friend leave with the quirky, pretty brunette on his arm and glanced at Felicity, who had finished her slice of pizza. 

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “He’s all grown up and flown the nest. Darcy’s confident, intelligent and very thoughtful, she could be good for James.”

Steve shook his head. He only hoped Bucky was ready for Darcy’s level of forwardness. She was a modern girl. Bucky might have been off ice longer than him, but Steve knew he still struggled to make social adjustments, just as he did. And he had the benefit of Felicity’s patience. But Bucky had always liked chatty, outgoing girls who liked dancing and parties. Perhaps Darcy and James would hit it off as well as they had on their first date.


End file.
